Harry Potter and the Fires of Change
by Proud Mudblood
Summary: When Harry was bitten by the basilisk, Fawkes didn't cry healing tears, he did...something else. How does it change things? Grey!Dom!Harry/Grey!Switch!Hermione/Slave!Ginny
1. Changeling

"You're dead, Harry Potter," the memory of Tom Riddle said.

And, indeed, the large basilisk fang that was sticking out of Harry's arm supported the sociopath's claims. That didn't mean he wanted his death rubbed in his face, though.

"I'm going to sit here and watch you die, Harry Potter."

Why did the bastard feel the need to end his sentences with Harry's full name?

"So ends the famous Harry Potter. Alone in the Chamber of Secrets."

Actually, Tom was there. And so were Ginny and Fawkes, though he wasn't sure if Ginny counted.

"Defeated at last by the dark lord he so unwisely challenged."

He was fifteen months old at the time, How the hell did he challenge Tom?

His musings were cut short by Fawkes dropping the enchanted diary in front of him. Tom's fear was so obvious at the sight that even Harry could see it with his diminished eyesight. Using the last of his strength, he pulled the fang from his arm, and plunged it into the diary. He heard the sixteen-year-old Voldemort scream and felt Fawkes land on his shoulder before everything went dark.

* * *

Fawkes looked down at the boy, knowing he only had another minute to live, and possibly even less. He knew he could have cried on the wound to heal it, but there was something behind his scar that told Fawkes to take a different path.

The phoenix mentally cursed that he had just recovered from a burning day before forcing himself to go through one again-and for the first time, he brought a human along.

* * *

Ginny woke up slowly. The agonizing headache she felt plus her disorientation caused her to close her eyes again and groan. Without opening her eyes, she thought back to what she last remembered. She had just come back from class, and for some reason felt very frustrated. Even though she knew she shouldn't she had written in the diary.

Her eyes snapped open, ignoring the pain that flashed through her at the action. The diary! Had there been another attack? She looked around wildly, and stared in horror at the enormous basilisk lying dead just a few feet away.

She was so absorbed in one of the most dangerous creatures in the world that it took her a few minutes to realize that a naked Harry with a pile of ash on his chest was lying in front of her. Blushing profusely, she moved to wake him up, ignoring the thundering in her skull.

"Harry," she said, wincing at the sound, despite it's relative quiet. When the boy who had fuelled many of Ginny's dreams didn't respond, she hesitantly reached out and shook him, saying his name again. He shifted a little, but didn't wake up. She shook him a little more roughly and said his name a little louder, though it still hurt her.

She jumped when his eyes snapped open. "Ginny?" He asked sitting up. Noticing her wince, he lowered his voice. "Are you okay?"

Seeing her (naked) hero awake, the eleven-year-old blushed purple and turned away. "I'm alright, I just have a massive headache."

"Why are you blushing?" Harry asked, a little confused.

"You're, uh, well," she was unable to articulate the word naked, so continued, "Look down."

"Ah!" He screamed, causing Ginny to wince, and covered himself. "What happened to my clothes?" He asked, toning down the volume.

"I don't know," Ginny answered with a shrug, "I woke up to find a dead basilisk, and a naked Harry Potter with a pile of ash on his chest."

Harry blinked and looked down at his hands, where he had unconsciously scooped said pile of ash when he sat up. He frowned at its familiarity for a moment, before he was struck with a moment of clarity. "Fawkes!"

Ginny didn't know about Dumbledore's phoenix, but didn't want to say anything just yet. Thankfully, her headache had started to go away, so his exclamation didn't hurt her head. "How do we get out of here?" She asked, still with her back to him.

"Aw, crap," Harry moaned. "I don't know how to get out of here, and even if I did, I can't go wandering through the school naked!"

"Most of the girls wouldn't mind," Ginny blurted out before she could stop herself. Both of them blushed profusely, though neither knew that the other one was blushing just as heavily. "I-I'm s-sorry, H-Harry, I-I w-wasn't th-thinking," she stuttered.

In that moment, Harry felt something come over him. When Fawkes brought him into the phoenix rebirth, anything that wasn't originally a part of Harry was brought with him and incorporated safely. This included the basilisk venom and the Horcrux that was his scar. The former (and the rebirth, itself) had changed his body, while the latter would change his mentality, making him slightly darker and more mature. Not much, since it was only a small piece of Voldemort's soul, but it made a difference. "Would that include you, Ginny?" He asked the blushing ginger. Blushing deeper, Ginny nodded, though she didn't know why.

Still being influenced by Tom's personality, Harry stepped forward, voice unconsciously laced with a compulsion charm, and whispered into her ear, "Since you've seen mine, does this mean I get to see yours?"

Influenced by the compulsion charm, Ginny nodded, and began disrobing. The shock of her actually doing it, though, was enough for Harry to regain his senses. "Ginny, stop! I'm sorry, I don't know what got into me."

Freed from the compulsion, Ginny rapidly returned the few clothes she had begun to remove to their rightful place. Though she did feel a twinge of disappointment. Forgetting about Harry's nudity for a moment, she turned to look him in the eye to reassure him.

When Ginny caught his eyes with hers, a few more bits of Tom's knowledge and abilities came to the fore. Harry was unintentionally using legilimency on the girl in front of him, and, given the situation, some were very dirty-including several where she was his slave. Using Tom's knowledge, Harry said without thinking, "Ginevra Molly Weasley, I have saved your life, creating a life debt. In payment, you shall be my slave and obey my every command until I release you." The flash of light illuminated both shocked faces as the deal was magically sealed.

Surprisingly, Harry was the first to recover. "I'm so sorry, Ginny! I don't even know what that was, or how it happened, or-"

Ginny, realizing that he was starting to panic, put a finger to his lips, instantly silencing him. "It's alright, Harry, I honestly don't mind," she reassured him. Blushing, she continued, "To tell the truth, it's actually one of my common fantasies. I don't mind as long as I'm with you."

Harry couldn't look at her. "But I want to be with Hermione," he whispered.

Ginny shrugged. "I don't mind. And if she does, you could always release me," Ginny pointed out, trying to quell the feelings of disappointment at the thought.

Harry though about it for a moment, before his eyes suddenly widened in panic. "Oh God! What about your family?"

"They don't need to know right now," Ginny answered reassuringly.

"But they _will_ find out one day," Harry pointed out.

"Yes, but if we wait a few years, we can just say that I asked you to do it," Ginny came back at him.

"It would still be bad, but perhaps not _as_ bad," Harry muttered to himself. Bringing his eyes back to Ginny, he demanded, "Tell me the truth; is this really what you want?"

Without a moment's hesitation, she replied, "Yes, Master."

To his surprise, Harry didn't mind being called Master. But, "You cannot call me Master in front of anyone who doesn't know about our arrangement."

"Yes, Master."

"Good, now let's go."

"Ummm...Master?" Ginny hesitantly stopped him from continuing. "You're still naked."

Harry blushed lightly. "Sorry, I forgot." Shifting Fawkes into his left hand, he drew his wand and silently conjured a school uniform on himself, not even registering that neither silent casting nor conjuration was taught until sixth year. Satisfied with the uniform, he continued walking back down the tunnel, Ginny dutifully falling in behind him.

When they reached the site of the cave in, Harry once more performed extraordinary magic by joining the rocks that were there into one cohesive wall and widening the hole innto a decently sized archway.

"Bloody Hell, mate!" Ron exclaimed. "How'd you do that?"

Harry looked at his wand. "I...I don't know," he confessed, confused.

Fortunately, Ron was sidetracked from his questions when he noticed his little sister trailing behind Harry. "Ginny!" He exclaimed. "You're safe!"

"Thanks to Harry," she said with a smile.

Harry, watching closely, noticed Ron's smile flicker as jealousy and anger flitted across his face before being hidden. "Thanks for saving her, Harry," he said.

"Of course," Harry said. He made a mental note to reevaluate his relationship with Ron later, right now, they needed to get out of this pit. He had no sooner thought of the need to get to the Headmaster's office when, in a burst of flame, he arrived there. Four pairs of eyes stared at the Boy-Who-Lived appearing in a flash of flames.

_Oh crap,_ he thought. "Be right back, I left some people behind," he said hurriedly to the four stunned adults. And with another flash of flame, he was back done in the Chamber of Secrets.

"I know how to get out of here now," he said sheepishly to the two Weasleys who were gaping at him.

Ginny shook her head, thinking, _Only Harry Potter,_ while Ron went with his usual response of, "Bloody Hell!"

Harry grabbed Ginny, who was holding onto Ron, and Lockhart before flaming back to the Headmaster's office. The office was still in a state of shock, giving Harry enough time to realize he had still forgotten some things, flame out to grab the sorting hat and Gryffindor's sword, before flaming back in. They say that third time's the charm, and that seemed to be the case as Harry's third arrival by flame seemed to jumpstart the Weasley parents into realizing that their daughter was safe.

"Ginny!" They both yelled, scooping her into a hug with a grateful look to Harry.

"How?" Arthur asked.

"Yes, I think we'd all like to know that," McGonagall supported, looking a bit dazed.

Harry nodded brusquely. "Alright, long story short, Hermione discovered that Slytherin's monster was a basilisk, we were directed to the entrance by Moaning Myrtle, we fetched Lockhart for help, he attempted to obliviate us, it backfired, leaving him more clueless than he was to begin with and causing a cave in, separating me and Ron. I continued on to find that Ginny was slowly being drained of her soul by Tom Marvolo Riddle, also known as Lord Voldemort," he ignored the four gasps at the name, "he called the basilisk, Fawkes brought me the sorting hat and tore out its eyes, the sorting hat gave me the sword of Gryffindor, I stabbed the basilisk, but one of its fangs went into my arm. I then stabbed the diary that was possessing Ginny, and passed out. Now that that's over, I'm going to go see Hermione." And with another flash of flame, he was gone before anyone even thought of stopping him.

* * *

**A/N: I got the idea from 'Of Tears and Venom,' and it just wouldn't leave me alone, so I had to write it. Next chapter, we find out how Hermione takes everything, and exactly what changes Harry has undergone.**


	2. Abnormalities

Hermione Granger stared at the back of Madame Pomfrey as the nurse headed back to her office, thoughts flying so quickly through her head Einstein would have a headache. _Ginny has been taken down to the Chamber? Harry and Ron have disappeared along with Lockhart? Does that mean they found my note? Are they fighting a basilisk?_

Before her thoughts could fully descend into panic, there was a flash of fire to her left that revealed Harry Potter. "HARRY!" She shouted. Or, rather, tried to shout. She was still recovering from her petrification, so it came out more like a groan.

Harry smiled at her, silently conjuring a chair to sit in. "Hey, Hermione, how are you feeling?"

"Stiff," she croaked. "How did you do that?" She asked gesturing towards the chair. "And what was with the flames? What happened?" She ended exasperatedly.

Harry smiled at her curiosity. _That's my Hermione,_ he thought. "I'll tell you all about it when you're better," he reassured her. "I also have something I want to ask you," he added, not quite meeting her gaze.

Hermione was about to ask what he meant when Madame Pomfrey returned. "Mister Potter," the healer huffed. "Although I am pleased to see you unharmed, please refrain from charging into dangerous situations again."

Harry swore he saw the glimmer of tears in her eyes, but joked anyway, "But Madame Pomfrey, then I wouldn't get to see you that often."

His gamble paid off and the healer's mouth twitched slightly towards a smile. "If you miss me that much, you could always visit," she reprimanded lightly.

"Speaking of visits, can you do a diagnostic on me?" Harry asked warily. He _hated_ hospitals.

Madame Pomfrey and Hermione both immediately went on alert. It wasn't like Harry to request anything to do with the hospital wing. "May I ask why, Mr. Potter?" Madame Pomfrey asked, even as she pulled out her wand.

"You may," he responded with a teasing smile. Seeing both women frown at him, he relented. "Okay, okay. Well, see, I, uh, well, I was, kinda, bittenbythebasilisk," he mumbled.

"I'm sorry, I missed that last part," Madame Pomfrey said.

Harry took a deep breath, fully expecting at least Hermione to freak out, and said again, "I was bitten by the basilisk."

Harry wasn't disappointed, as Hermione let out a shriek, and Madame Pomfrey paled drastically, gesturing hurriedly for him to lay on 'his' bed. Sighing, Harry complied, giving Hermione a reassuring smile, despite knowing it wouldn't work, just before Madame Pomfrey cut off their view of each other.

Placing the Healer's quill and parchment on the bedside table, Madame Pomfrey placed her wand over the top of Harry's head and began muttering a string of Latin that continued as she slowly moved her wand down his body. The Healer's quill would record the collected basic data and abnormalities (including diseases and innate abilities) before writing it on the parchment for her to review after the scan.

When she finished, she checked the parchment before setting it aside, pulling out another, muttering, "I have to double-check this," and scanning Harry again. She never noticed Hermione reach over and take the original page.

**Name: Harry James Potter  
Gender: Male  
Species: Human-Basilisk-Phoenix  
Height: 5'2"  
Weight: 98 lbs.  
Left Eyesight: 5/20  
Right Eyesight: 7/20  
Abnormalities:  
Parseltongue-benign****  
Basilisk Venom throughout body-benign  
Snake-like Fangs-benign  
Basilisk-like hide-benign  
Able to carry immense weights-benign  
Fire travel-benign  
Altered Phoenix rebirth-benign**

Hermione's eyes widened at the list of 'abnormalities.' What did they mean? How did they happen? Did Harry know? Did this mean he would live forever? If he wasn't fully human, could he have children?

Hermione's frantic musings were interrupted when Madame Pomfrey started to speak to Harry again. "Mr. Potter...what exactly happened in the Chamber of Secrets?" Harry told them everything he knew, from entering the chamber with Ron and Lockhart, to flaming everyone to the Headmaster's office with the exception of what happened with Ginny. "But how did it happen?" Madame Pomfrey muttered to herself.

"How did what happen?" Harry asked, starting to get impatient. Madame Pomfrey silently handed him the results of her second scan-which were the same as the first. It didn't take long for his outburst. "I'm not human anymore!" Silence greeted his question, and he continued to read. "Wait, I don't have fangs."

"Harry," Hermione interrupted softly, "Some snakes have fangs that sort of...hinge. Check the roof of your mouth."

With a shaking hand, Harry slowly reached up into his mouth. There was a noticeable pause as his hand reached his lips, but, after a deep breath, he reached up to feel the roof of his mouth. And promptly started to cry. He angrily balled up the parchment and threw it aimlessly before curling up into a ball facing away from his best friend and the healer.

Hermione couldn't stand to see Harry in pain. She'd seen him with a broken arm, and he barely winced, so she thought there was more to this than just the change. Gritting her teeth, she forced herself up to go comfort him. She was still a bit shaky, so it would have taken a while, but Madame Pomfrey was a Healer and could tell that this was necessary for a different type of healing, so she helped Hermione towards him.

Hermione was worried when she sat on the bed with no response from Harry; he didn't seem to notice she was there. But she could hear him mumbling something and leaned closer. "...right, I am a freak. How can I ask Hermione out now? She wouldn't want to date a-"

Harry's words were cut off as, to his vast surprise, Hermione spun him around and kissed him. "You don't have to ask, Harry, I would love to be your girlfriend," she said when she broke the kiss.

Harry took a moment to answer, as he seemed a bit dazed. When he finally cleared his head, he asked, "But why? I'm not even human! My blood is the most potent venom on earth, and who knows if that applies to anything else!"

"It doesn't seem to apply to your saliva," she whispered in his ear. "Besides, I've liked you since first year. After the troll incident, I asked around to see what happened. Lavender and Parvati said that you were looking for me. No one else was, just you. You looked for a bushy-haired, buck-toothed, nagging, know-it-all who had annoyed you from the first day."

"That's not true," Harry protested. "Yes, your hair is bushy and your front teeth are a little large, but that doesn't bother me. You may be a know-it-all, but someone has to be. I'll admit, you do nag sometimes, but if we listened from the start, you wouldn't have to. But you never truly annoyed me." He looked away, ashamed. "I just...well, Ron didn't seem to really like you, and I didn't want to lose my first friend," he admitted softly.

"Well, you won't lose me," she whispered gently.

Harry gave her a firm hug in silent thanks, when, for no apparent reason, Ginny popped into his head. Mentally cursing himself for forgetting, he told Hermione, "You actually might want to hold off on that; there's still something I need to tell you when we're alone."

"Couldn't you take us to the Chamber so we could talk there?" Hermione asked hopefully.

"Not before Madame Pomfrey releases you," Harry said with a snort. "I don't want someone with the knowledge of exactly the worst places someone can hurt mad at me."

Hermione laughed, and snuggled into him. "I think she'd let me go."

"Go ahead," Madame Pomfrey said, making the two pre-teens jump. "There's nothing I can do for Hermione anymore except wait for her to regain fuull control of herself, and there's nothing actually wrong with Harry."

"Thank you," the two said simultaneously, before vanishing in flames.

Madame Pomfrey shook her head. "You're welcome," she said to thin air, before finally starting to revive everyone else.

* * *

Harry and Hermione appeared at the scene of the rockslide, since Harry didn't want her freaking out about the size of the basilisk.

Hermione took a moment to look around, trying to see the basilisk, but when she only saw stone, she turned to Harry, asking, "Alright, what has got you so worried?"

Harry silently conjured two chairs, ignoring Hermione's pout at the lack of closeness; he didn't want to be too close when she began to hit him. Once they were seated, Harry began with a question, "Hermione, what do you know about life debts?"

Hermione raised an eyebrow at the question before answering, "I know that I owe you a life debt, I'm pretty sure that Ginny owes you one, and that the person owed a lide debt could demand anything and the person's magic will enforce it."

"Correct on all counts," Harry confirmed. "Now, what do you know about Ginny?"

Hermione frowned. "Practically nothing."

Harry nodded. "It was the same for me. But, after I woke up, something happened and I read some of Ginny's mind-"

"How'd you do that? Is there a defense against it? Can it be taught? What-"

"Hermione!" Harry exclaimed, cutting her off. "Could you please let me finish?" Hermione pouted for a moment, but nodded. "As I was saying, I read some of Ginny's mind, and I saw some...fantasies," he said with a blush. Hermione looked eager to say something, but held off, waiting for Harry to continue. "In a lot of those fantasies, she was my slave." Since he wasn't looking at her, Harry didn't see Hermione's blush as she though to some of her own fantasies that ran in a similar vane. "When I saw that, knowledge of life debts suddenly sprang to mind, and I granted her wish."

It took Hermione a few moments to realize what he meant, but she was surprisingly calm. "YOU ENSLAVED HER!" She screamed at him. Harry nodded, a small tear escaping his eye. It was enough to calm Hermione down. "If you have a slave, why did you want to date me?"

Still unable to look at her, Harry asked, "You know that song that goes, 'You don't know what you got, till it's gone'?" Hermione gave a terse, "yes". "When I saw you petrified on that hospital bed, everything just...stopped. We already knew that whatever was petrifying people could kill, and I realized just jow close I came to losing you. I didn't want to lose you," he whispered. "I already told Ginny that if you were against it, I would release her," he finished a little louder.

"Give me a minute," Hermione said, still terse, but not quite as much. _Alright, think, Hermione. He has a slave-a _willing _slave-and would give her up for you. You can't argue that it's against her will, since it clearly isn't. Strangely, I think I'm okay with it. Especially if he puts me in charge of her every now and again._ She was almost jolted out of her own mind when she realized what she had thought, but realized that, although she had sometimes fantasized about being a slave, she would need to have control every once in a while as she wasn't a complete submissive. "Alright, I accept this on one condition," Hermione finally said.

Harry's head snapped up to her. "Anything," he said.

"You will demand that she obey my commands, second only to yours," Hermione demanded imperiously.

Harry gaped at her for a minute, before a smirk worked its way onto his face. "Would you also be mine to command?" He asked.

Hermione blushed, but nodded. "Sometimes."

"Do you want me to invoke the life debt?" Harry asked.

Hermione thought about it for a moment, but agreed. After all, he could have just forced her.

Harry nodded, and thought carefully about the wording. "Hermione Jane Granger, I saved your life, thereby creating a life debt. In payment, you will keep the slavery of Ginevra Molly Weasley a secret from those who do not know, and you will follow my commands as long as they do not cause you or someone else harm. I claim this payment until I release you, so mote it be." Like last time, there was a flash of light.

Hermione was grateful that he had been so lenient with the life debt; by wording it the way he had, he included emotional harm as well as physical harm. "Thank you, Harry."

Harry gave her a genuine smile. "No problem, Hermione. How are you feeling now? And tell me the truth."

Hermione was about to say fine, when Harry demanded that she tell the truth. "I'm doing better. I'm still a little stiff, but I could probably walk if I wanted to."

"Good," Harry answered, but he seemed a bit distracted.

"Harry?" Hermione asked worriedly.

Harry didn't hear her, as he was busy thinking of another slave he knew, Dobby. Could Dobby answer a call to someone that wasn't his Master or Mistress. "Dobby?"

"Master Harry Potter Sir is calling Dobby?" The elf asked as he appeared with a crack.

"Yes Dobby, I did," Harry said kindly. Waving his wand, Harry cast a powerful compulsion on Dobby that would effect whoever his Master was, almost forcing whoever it was to free him. "Dobby, will you go to your Master or Mistress and come back in five minutes?"

Dobby appeared confused, but nodded. "I will tries, Master Harry Potter Sir." With a crack, the elf was gone.

"Master Harry Potter Sir?" Hermione asked innocently.

Harry groaned. "Yes, Hermione?"

"What did you do?"

Harry smirked. "I cast a compulsion on Dobby that would effect his Master or Mistress, causing them to free him."

"Harry, how do you know how to do that? Or the silent casting? Or conjuration? None of that is taught until at least sixth year," Hermione pointed out, a bit miffed that he could do so many things she couldn't.

Harry frowned and opened his mouth to say he didn't know, when a burst of flame revealed a fully grown Fawkes. "Fawkes? Didn't you just have a burning day?"

The phoenix nodded, surprising Harry and Hermione. _Yes,_ he trilled, _And I will have one again in a few hours._

"You can talk?" Harry asked, surprised.

"Harry, Fawkes isn't talking, he's singing," Hermione said, looking at him strangely.

"There are words in the song, Hermione," Harry said, appearing confused that she couldn't understand.

_It does not matter,_ Fawkes trilled. _I'm here to tell you about your abilities, and what happened, and why._

"What's he saying, Harry?" Hermione asked, apparently suspending her disbelief.

"He's going to explain what happened to me," Harry said excitedly.

_You see, when you were bitten by the basilisk, I had two choices; one, I could simply cry healing tears on it and negate the poison, or two, the more complex matter of forcing myself into a burning day, and bringing you with me. I chose the latter. The last time it was done was so long ago, even we phoenixes have forgotten who was rebirthed. But one of the reason I chose rebirth is that you are the center for change in the world. Do not ask me to explain because I cannot. Now, when I brought you along for the rebirth, I could choose which powers I gave to you. As you saw from Madame Pomfrey's scan, you have phoenix ability to travel by fire, and carry immensely heavy loads. I tried to give you the healing tears, but the basilisk venom negated them. The 'altered rebirth,' as it was labelled, is only valid once. What you can do is do what I did, bring someone along for a rebirth, making them like you. Be warned, though, should you do this, you will be bound to that person forever, mind, magic, and soul._

_The other reason I chose rebirth is because anything that would be harmful to you, is instead assimilated into you. You had the basilisk venom, and a bit of Dark magic, as well. You now have the skin of a basilisk because it is the only thing that could withstand the venom. However, because the venom was assimilated into you, your body will now produce it on its own. If the venom levels become too high, you will die. So your body gave you the fangs to deal with it._

_Your basilisk hide will _not_make you immune to spells; it will simply be more resilient to force and forceful spells. Should someone cast something like a bone-breaker or a bludgeoner, you shall be protected to an extent. Should they pour enough power into it, they may even accomplish what they intend to do, but for the most part, you'll end up with nothing more than a bruise, at worst, though the force will still push you. However, something like the leg-locker curse, or the cruciatus, which DO NOT require force will still effect you as much as if you had regular, human, skin._

_The Dark magic was a piece of the man you know as Voldemort's soul. Although it is no longer part of his soul, you will have all of his memories and knowledge. Since the soul piece was so small, your personality will be minimally affected, though it will take a while for you to settle down._

_Now, I must go. My second burning of the day is nearing._ And with a flash, the talkative phoenix vanished.

"What did he say?" Hermione demanded immediately.

Slowly, almost robotically, Harry repeated everything he could remember about the conversation, leaving nothing out. Hermione looked a little shocked about Harry having all of Voldemort's knowledge from when he attempted to kill Harry, but thought it was definitely something that could come in handy. The most useful part of the whole thing, she thought, was the alterred rebirth part. Especially if it meant what she thought it did. She would have to visit the library.

"Does this mean you're going to have to get rid of the venom periodically?" Hermione asked.

"It sounds that way, doesn't it?" Harry asked rhetorically with a frown. Then he suddenly brightened. "Hey, if I have basilisk hide this means it won't hurt as much when the Dursleys beat me!"

Hermione narrowed her eyes. "What?" She asked dangerously.

Harry gulped as he realized what he had said aloud. "Er...nothing," he said hurriedly. Hermione didn't say a word, just narrowed her eyes and glared at him silently. It took less than thirty seconds for him to start fidgeting. Another ten, and he was dancing in his seat, eyes nervously darting everywhere. After another ten, he finally caved. "Alright! I said that, now that I have basilisk hide, it won't hurt as much when the Dursleys beat me," he finished quietly.

Hermione seethed. How _dare_ they? Even with a part of Voldemort's soul in him, she still considered him one of the kindest and most gentle people she'd ever met. "How bad?" She asked, managing to sound gentle, even if she just wanted to rip out some Dursleys' throats.

"I don't want to talk about it," Harry muttered, not looking at her. Even as she watched, he drew his knees up to his chin and gently rocked back and forth.

Hermione got up and walked over to him, idly noting that the stiffness was almost entirely gone. Wrapping her boyfriend in a hug, she ignored his momentary tenseness and whispered in his ear, "You don't have to talk right now, but when you do, I'll be here."

"Thank you," Harry whispered back. Right then, nothing more needed to be said.

* * *

**A/N: I can't wait until the Dursleys get some payback!**


	3. Discovery

Hermione thought about what had just happened and the last few minutes, and was rather surprised at how quickly she had accepted everything; Harry was now the first ever hybrid of wizard, basilisk, and phoenix, and had acquired slaves in both herself and Ginny Weasley. And she was allowed to be in charge of Ginny! Even more surprisingly, she had actually been the one to suggest-no, _demand_-that she be allowed to do that!

Unbidden, the memory of a few lines from, "Magical Legends: Fact or Fiction," sprang to her mind. _One of the many legends about Merlin was his ability to influence the mood of others. While some believe that he did this on purpose, it is more widely believed that his magic was so powerful it would permeate the air around him. And since magic is tied into everything, including our emotions, his emotions simply affected those around him…_

_Could that be what's happening here?_ Hermione asked herself. _After all, I'm fairly certain that Harry's very powerful, especially for our age group, but could he be _that_ powerful? Could he be near or at _Merlin's_ level?_

Fortunately for the girl's sanity, her musings were interrupted by a _crack!_ and the appearance of the house-elf, Dobby, who was bouncing up and down excitedly.

"Dobbys did as Master Harry Potter sirs asked," the surprisingly cheerful creature said, "and nows Dobbys is free!"

"Would you like to stay free, Dobby?" Harry asked calmly and gently.

Dobby looked up at Harry with wide, hopeful eyes. "Does-does Master Harry Potter Sir wants Dobby as his elf?"

"Would you like to be my elf, Dobby?" Harry asked, still calm in the hopes of keeping the overly excitable elf from becoming…well, over-excited. Dobby's large and already wide eyes somehow managed to widen further as he nodded frantically and bounced on the balls of his feet. Harry couldn't help but smile at the elf as he asked what he needed to do.

"Master Harry Potter Sir needs to dos nothing," Dobby said happily, "Dobby wills will take carings of it." And before Harry could say anything, Dobby disappeared with another _crack!_

Harry blinked. "What does _that_ mean?" He asked no one in particular.

"I have no idea," Hermione answered from his lap where she had watched the whole thing.

"Are you okay with this?" Harry asked immediately after her voice brought him out of his own musings.

For a moment, there was no reaction from his first - and, he hoped, last - girlfriend, but then she nodded slowly. "I think so," she affirmed as slowly as she had nodded. "You did give him the option, after all, and he did seem quite pleased with the arrangements." She paused for thought again. "I think I'm okay with it is long as it remains what he wants. I just hope you would free him should he change his mind."

"Of course," Harry agreed immediately. "I would do the same with you and Ginny, as well."

"I know," Hermione answered with a smile. "I think you'll have to actually tell Dobby to tell _you_ if he wants to be free, though. I don't think he will otherwise."

"It's almost amusing that I'll have to _order_ someone to tell me if they want me to free them. In another way, though, it's kind of sad."

"I know what you mean," Hermione agreed wryly, as she leaned into his shoulder and yawned. "The idea that creatures can become so used to mistreatment is mind-boggling." Harry managed to mostly control his flinch, but Hermione was sitting on top of him and felt it anyway, causing her to realize what she said. She jerked as though electrocuted, and rushed to apologize. "Harry, I'm so sor-"

Harry interrupted her with a finger placed on her lips, which was remarkable effective. "Hermione, it's fine. I know you didn't mean anything by it."

Hermione was tempted to apologize again, but the look in his eyes told her to let it go, and she simply nodded and placed her head back on his shoulder. With a slight smirk at her compliance, Harry lowered his hand and rested his head against hers. This odd relationship looked like it could be complicated, but Harry's last thought before he fell asleep was that, despite the complications, he thought he'd enjoy it.

* * *

_He was four years old, watching from beneath the ratty blankets as one of the orphanage workers went to the bed of one of the older boys, whispering to be quiet. He vowed to himself that he would be strong enough that it wouldn't happen to him…._

_He was five when he made the connection between his powerful emotions and strange things happening. He just wished he knew how to control it…._

_He was seven before he managed to move things consistently without touching them. He was careful to hide it; he couldn't have anyone know how special he was until he could fully control it…._

_He was eight when he learned how to make people do what he wanted; he made the biggest boy protect him from the others…._

_He was nine when he learned how to make others hurt; the orphanage worker he had seen when he was four tried to come into his bed. The next morning, the other workers found him frothing at the mouth and gibbering about child demons…._

_He was still hiding his powers from most at the age of ten, but the others seemed to know and avoided him. He also got a visit from Dumbledore, and learned he wasn't alone. He had killed for the first time when he found out he wasn't the only one. He vowed then to become the strongest wizard ever…._

_He was eleven now, and sorted into Slytherin, shunned because of his unknown blood status. When he found he could speak to snakes, everyone said he was the heir to Slytherin and must be a pureblood. He had found the way in that he needed to become stronger…._

_He was thirteen, excelling in all of his classes, charismatic, and with a close circle of friends. It was the summer and he was back in the orphanage, unable to use his wand. He finally checked the yellow pages for the name Riddle, and screamed in rage when he found someone listed under that name in Little Hangleton. He killed twice more that night before regaining control of himself and vowing to change his name…._

_He was fourteen when he discovered the Chamber of Secrets. It was here that he had changed his name to Voldemort and shared it among his closest friends. Everyone else had learned to leave him alone when he conjured a snake and commanded it to strike at Charlus Potter…._

_He was fifteen when he realized he should keep his parseltongue abilities hidden, and searched the library until he found the _Fidelius _charm. He set it so the secret could only be revealed by a parseltongue command, and promptly let the basilisk in the Chamber roam the school, killing some whiny girl named Myrtle…._

_He stayed under the radar until he was sixteen and discovered horcruxes. He had managed to trace his mother's family through his middle name and discovered that they lived very near to his "father." He remembered killing him, and his paternal grandparents, to create his first horcrux; setting up his uncle had been so easy…._

_He was seventeen and finally free of that bloody school and the twinkle-eyed bastard who watched him far too closely, allowing him to explore the so-called "Dark" Magic. Ha! It wasn't "Dark," it was powerful! They just didn't see it…._

_He spent twenty more years exploring the world to find other "Dark" magic as well as empowering and immortality rituals. During that time, he also made two more horcruxes; one out of Ravenclaw's diadem, and one out of the Peverell ring. He also picked up a snake named Nagini, who he put through enlarging and empowering rituals…._

_Upon his return to Britain, he immediately headed to Hogwarts to apply for the vacant Defense position, hiding the diadem along the way. He was angry, though not surprised, when Dumbledore turned him down, and spent five years working for Borgin and Burke's, during which time he subtly gathered his "friends" and acquired Slytherin's locket and Hufflepuff's cup. Ironically, his murder of the owner of Hufflepuff's cup was used to make the horcrux in Slytherin's locket…._

_Finally, he felt it was time to rise as Lord Voldemort, gathering the foolish purebloods around him and using their ideals as an excuse to murder and torture…._

_It was almost a decade later when his spy, Severus Snape, reported part of a prophecy to him; "_The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches ... born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies…_" Only two couples sprang to mind who had defied him three times: Frank and Alice Longbottom, and James and Lily Potter…._

* * *

"SNAPE!" Harry woke up roaring, causing Hermione to wake up with a startled squeak and fall to the floor. "I'LL KILL HIM! I'LL RIP HIS SPLEEN THROUGH HIS DAMNED NOSTRILS…" Harry ranted to angry to actually use his ability to get to Snape, or notice that he'd just dumped his girlfriend onto the cold and hard floor.

Hermione, dazed, confused, and with barely any idea of what was going on, knew that, at the very least, she had to calm her boyfriend down, and leaped up, shouting, "HARRY!"

"WHAT?" He snarled at her. Seeing her glare, he toned it down. "Sorry," he apologized, a little acerbically. Fortunately for his continued health, Hermione could see it wasn't directed at her and ignored it.

"Now," Hermione started, glaring slight at Harry, "What has you so upset with Snape?" Seeing Harry get ready to yell again, she added, "And please inform me _calmly_."

Harry clenched his jaw, but closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and explained. "You remember how Fawkes said that a piece of Voldemort's soul was behind my scar, and now it was a part of me?" Hermione raised an eyebrow at the seeming non-sequitur, but nodded. "Last night, that piece of his soul seemed to…integrate, for lack of a better word. I re-experienced his life. Did you know he killed his first person at ten? But what got me so angry at Snape is that _he_ was apparently the person who pointed Voldemort at me. Apparently, there's this prophecy that says I'm going to destroy Voldemort, and Snape overhead part of it, and told it to Voldemort. Two people had the possibility to fuflfill that prophecy-me, or Neville Longbottom."

Hermione pondered that for a moment. "So Snape is the reason you're an orphan?" Harry gave wordless snarl and nodded. "Is he the reason Neville lives with his grandmother?"

"Neville lives with his grandmother?"

Hermione rolled her eyes at him. "I believe I just said that." Harry glared, silently letting Hermione know that he wasn't in the mood for humor. Hermione ignored him. "Given that, it's possible his parents are dead, too."

"I see. So what you're saying is, I should ask Neville if he wants to kill Snape, too."

"Harry!"

"What? You have a better plan?"

"Actually, yes…"

* * *

"Hey, Neville, can we talk to you for a minute?"

Neville looked up from his plate of eggs, surprised. "Oh, hey Harry, hey Hermione. Yeah, sure, I was just finishing breakfast anyway," he answered pushing his plate away and standing.

Harry gave a nod, looking angry, while Hermione looked like she was trying to subtly calm him down-and failing. "Thanks," Harry said. "I think we should have Susan there, too."

"Really?" Neville asked, surprised. "Why is that?"

"Actually, it was Hermione's idea, so I'll let her answer." Harry meant to tease her when he said it, but his tone was still a bit clipped, and he was glaring at Snape from the corner of his eye.

Neville looked worried, but Hermione recognized his attempt and played along-mock-glaring at him before turning back to Neville. "We're hoping that she'll relay our conversation to her aunt?"

Neville's eyebrows rose to his hairline. "How'd you know about that?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "I've been getting the _Daily Prophet_ since school started, and Amelia Bones has appeared with a decent amount of frequency. I also remembered the name Susan Bones from the sorting, and it didn't take a whole lot of effort to find out what their relationship was."

Neville nodded in understanding. "I assume this will be a fairly private conversation?" The pair nodded. "Alright. Do you want me to get Susan and meet you outside the Great Hall entrance? 'Cause I know her from parties my gran holds or attends."

"That would be great Neville, thank you," Hermione responded, relieved that fewer people would see the rage on Harry's face.

Neville merely nodded and headed off to the Hufflepuff table, hopefully to bring Susan to meet them, as Hermione dragged her boyfriend from the Hall.

They'd barely made it when they heard a female voice from behind them greet them. "Hey Harry, Hey Hermione. Where are we going?"

"Seventh floor," Harry answered tersely.

"He's about upset about the topic of conversation, and I can pretty much guarantee that Neville will be, too," Hermione whispered to Susan's shocked and slightly upset look.

"Oh," Susan answered, relaxing slightly. "Why does Harry look different?"

"Harry looks different?" Neville asked, bewildered. He squinted at Harry with a frown, but didn't notice anything.

Hermione and Susan rolled their eyes and scoffed in unison. "Boys."

Turning back to Susan, Hermione told the busty redhead, "It's part of the story. Judging from how Harry's acting, I think I'm going to be the one to tell it."

Susan nodded, and the rest of the trip passed in awkward silence before the quartet stopped in an empty hallway with a tapestry of a man teaching trolls ballet. Neville and Susan shared a confused look that changed to shock when a door appeared out of nowhere. "What is this place?" Susan asked, awed.

"Room of Requirement," Harry grunted.

"Stop being so surly, Harry," Hermione reprimanded with an eye roll. Turning to their guests, she informed them, "If you request something from it three times, it will turn into that request. Harry asked for a room where the four of us could talk privately without fear of being overheard, and we got this." She waved her hand at the surroundings, with two loveseats across from each other and the walls in a matching light blue with a dark blue rug. Overall, it seemed the perfect room to talk, or just to relax.

"How'd you find it?" Neville asked, just as awed as the girl he was secretly crushing on.

Hermione glanced at Harry, but sighed when he just sat on the loveseat and glared at the air. "It will be part of the story, but when we tell you, please don't take it the wrong way. Please don't spread it about, either."

Neville and Susan again shared a glance, this one wary, before turning back to their hostess and nodding. Neither missed her sigh of relief as she gestured to the loveseat opposite Harry.

Once the three were seated, Hermione began the story. "When Harry and Ron discovered that Ginny was missing…"

* * *

"…and he stabbed the diary with the fang in his arm. Then Fawkes healed him, but, instead of doing the usual and crying tears on him, he forced a burning day upon himself, bringing Harry with him."

The two purebloods gasped, staring at the brooding Harry in shock. After a moment of gaping, Susan recovered enough to state, "But that doesn't explain why he's so upset."

Hermione again glanced at Harry, but he was still glaring at the air, probably imagining different ways that Snape could die. With yet another sigh, Hermione cautioned, "This is the part you have to keep an open mind about, okay? At first glance, it will seem absolutely horrible, but it has given us all kinds of information." She waited for their nods before explaining. "When Fawkes brought Harry along for his forced burning day, it incorporated anything that could be harmful to him into his system. The basilisk venom, for example, flows through his body. As a result, his skin is now similar to basilisk hide, and he was the fangs so he doesn't overload his system on the venom." Giving one last look to Harry, who, again, didn't respond, she continued, "But that's not the only thing that was 'brought along;' when Voldemort," she ignored the flinches, "attempted to kill Harry, he left a small piece of his soul behind, residing behind the scar."

She stopped, hoping she wouldn't have to explain. Susan was the first to gasp, leading Hermione to believe she understood. "Are you saying that Harry has merged with a piece of Voldemort's soul?"

Neville looked like he was about to dispute that, but Hermione nodded, stopping him cold. "Yes, and we'd definitely prefer that that little tidbit was kept quiet. The result, however, is that Harry now knows what Voldemort knew at the time of the attempted murder of baby Harry. It is this information that has Harry upset."

Finally, Harry responded. "Neville, before this continues, may I ask what happened to your parents?"

Neville stiffened, and Susan wrapped an arm around him comfortingly and, Hermione noticed, blushing slightly. "They're at St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries in the long-term care ward after being tortured into insanity by Rodolphus, Rabastan, and Bellatrix Lestrange with support from Bartemius Crouch, Jr.," He answered with a venomous tone unheard of before by the three other people. "Why?"

"Because I know who pointed Voldemort in their direction."

Neville leaned forward, his typical shyness nowhere to be found as his eyes glinted maliciously. "Who?"

§Severus Snape,§ Harry quite literally hissed.

"Harry, now is not the time to speak in parseltongue," Neville said angrily.

"Sorry, accidental," Harry explained. "I said, Severus Snape."

Neville and Susan froze. It was actually Susan who recovered first. "Severus Snape?" She repeated angrily. "The supposed 'professor' who's an unmitigated bastard to anyone not in his own house? The buggering arsewhipe of a poncey git who is extra cruel to you and Neville?"

Harry's face was contorted into a feral snarl as he nodded. Only Hermione noticed that the ceiling started to imitate the Great Hall when there was a storm.

"And that's why we want you here, Susan," Hermione interjected smoothly. "We're hoping that, with Neville telling his grandmother, and you telling your aunt, we can get the greasy stain of a human being on trial and jailed." With a glance at Neville, she added cheekily, "After you calm down your boyfriend, of course."

And with that, she dragged Harry from the room, ignoring the stuttered denials from behind them. "Harry, can you flame us to the Chamber and conjure a bed for us? I want to help you relax."

_That_ grabbed Harry's attention. "Hermione, I don't think we're ready for that…."

Hermione blushed wildly as she realized how her words could be misconstrued. "Sorry, I meant I would just hold you as we slept; it seemed to help you last night," she explained.

Harry nodded, now blushing just as brightly as his girlfriend. Without another word, the pair vanished in a flash of flames.

* * *

**A/N: I fleshed out a little of Voldemort's story, since we're told very little in canon.**


	4. I'm On My Way

Yes, I'm still here! I apologize for the long delay - my days jumped from a little over 40 hours a week to a minimum of 60, and occasionally over 70. Last week I worked over 80! But I have now changed jobs and am back to a fairly even schedule of 40 hours a week. On the downside, I had all of my files saved here on FanFiction because my computer kept crashing, and because I've been away for so long, it's all gone. I hope to review/rewrite what I have in my posted stories, and start writing the next chapters in my stories within the next 2-3 weeks, and I hope to have something posted within the next 2 months. Keep your fingers crossed!

Proud Mudblood


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